What is our body made for?
What is our body made for?
Right now, you’re probably sitting down. Sitting for a short time is okay, but the longer you sit, the more uncomfortable your body gets. Your body wants to move, not sit still all day.
Our bodies aren’t made for sitting all the time. Moving around is what they’re designed for. We have lots of joints and muscles that help us move easily. Standing up straight is natural for us, and our blood needs us to move so it can flow well. Moving helps our nerve cells, and our skin stretches when we move.
If our bodies are meant to move, what happens when we don’t move? Let’s talk about the spine, which is the main issue. Your spine is made of bones with cartilage discs between them. Muscles, ligaments, and joints keep it all together. Sitting with a curved back puts uneven pressure on your spine, causing damage over time. This position also limits how much your lungs can expand when you breathe.
When we sit, our muscles, nerves, arteries, and veins get squashed, which can make our limbs feel numb or swollen. Sitting for a long time slows down the breakdown of fats in our blood, so we’re not burning as much fat as when we move around.
Sitting for long periods reduces blood flow and oxygen going to our brain. This can make it hard to concentrate because our brains need oxygen to stay alert.
Sitting too much isn’t just bad in the short term. Studies show it’s linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems. Inactivity causes a lot of premature deaths worldwide. So sitting too much isn’t harmless at all.
But there are easy ways to fight the problem. When you have to sit, try to sit up straight. And when you can, move around more. You can set reminders to get up every half hour. Remember, our bodies are made for moving, not sitting still.